Tougher bond conditions for coach charged with sexual exploitation

Jeffrey Tackes, 30, a former north suburban cheerleading coach, was issued tougher bond conditions after other victims have come forward.

Jeffrey Tackes, 30, a former north suburban cheerleading coach, was issued tougher bond conditions after other victims have come forward. (Bensonville Police Dept.)

Clifford WardSpecial to the Tribune

A former north suburban cheerleading coach will have more stringent bond conditions after other young girls, including a former cheerleader, have come forward and accused him of inappropriate behavior.

Jeffrey Tackes, 30, is awaiting trial in DuPage County, charged with a misdemeanor count of sexual exploitation of a child. In February, he reportedly coerced two cheerleaders from his squad at Niles North High School in Skokie to engage in a game of strip poker with him following a party at his Bensenville residence.

During the game, he reportedly exposed himself to the girls, who were 16 and 17, according to a motion filed by DuPage County prosecutors. Earlier in the evening, he gave the girls a tour of his home and, while in the bathroom, suggested they all take a shower together, according to court documents.

Afterward, Tackes sent a number of text messages to the cheerleaders that were “inappropriate and sexual in nature,” according to the court file.

His February arrest prompted a former cheerleader from Niles North to contact police, according to the motion. She reported that in 2009 she received inappropriate text messages from Tackes.

It was not clear from the file if the girl informed school officials of the messages, and a call to the high school’s principal was not immediately returned. Niles North is closed today, according to the school’s website.

Two York High School students have also come forward and said that Tackes, while working as a spotter at a Bensenville gymnastics camp in 2010, touched them on the buttocks more than a spotter normally would. He also told the girls they could remove their shirts if they were too hot, according to the file.

Tackes, who is free on bond, was banned from any contact with the girls. He also is barred from being on the grounds of any school. And he must make weekly visits with DuPage County’s pretrial services division, which will monitor that he is abiding by the bond conditions.

Tackes, who taught math at Niles North, resigned following his arrest.